The Morning Ledger: Fed Chiefs Make the Rounds

Reporter

For those looking for more details on QE3, three Fed presidents are on tap to give speeches today less than a week after the central bank promised to deluge markets with cash for as long as it takes. The New York Fed’s William Dudley is giving a talk in New Jersey, Richmond’s Jeff Lacker will appear at a “Money Marketeers of NYU” dinner, and Chicago’s Charles Evans is in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

It’s a light day for data. ICSC-Goldman Sachs weekly chain-store sales index are out, as is the second-quarter current account balance, which is seen narrowing to -$122.5 billion from -$137.3 billion.

Nearly across the board, mid-market executives are hiring new employees, buying new technology solutions, acquiring businesses to reach new markets and preparing IPOs, according to a Deloitte survey of more than 500 mid-market executives. But companies are running up against a number of constraints as they seek to expand, particularly in acquiring and retaining skilled talent.